The present invention relates to an improvement in a device to aid in the setting of animal traps. More specifically, to a device used to aid in the setting of spring biased wire framed animal traps.
In the past animal traps mainly consisted of jaw type traps that would trap an animal by grasping the animal about the foot or paw and holding the animal until such time as the trapper could remove the animal from the trap. Another type of trap that is commonly used today is a spring biased wire frame trap that is placed over a hole and typically snares an animal about the neck area quickly and humanly exterminating the animal. This type of trap is commonly referred to as a CONIBEAR trap.
One of the main downfalls of this type of wire frame or CONIBEAR trap is the difficulty in setting the trap, especially larger sizes used for bigger animals. The trap typically has two V-shaped springs, one on each side of the trap, that must be compressed and latched in order to set the trap. This can be extremely difficult, especially for users of less than average strength. Because of this, devices have been made to aid in the setting of these wire frame type traps. Once such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,463 issued to Treadwell. This patent discloses the use of an aid where the user places the device on one of the V-shaped springs and pulls upward on a plunger compressing the V-shaped spring so that it may be latched. The problem with this type of device is that the user must pull up on the plunger and away from the V-shaped spring in order to compress the spring. Often times, this may make it very difficult to hold the plunger in an upward position while reaching down and latching the V-shaped mechanism. Further, with traps of a larger size it may be very difficult and require a large amount of strength for a young or infirm user to hold the plunger in an up position while latching the V-shaped spring.
From the above discussion, it can be seen that it would be desirable to supply a device to aid in the setting of wire frame spring traps. This device should be designed to aid a young or infirm user in setting the trap by allowing the user to use one""s own body weight to compress the V-shaped spring and safely and quickly latch the V-shaped spring with a minimal amount of strength or stress.
It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a method by which a wire frame animal spring trap, such as a CONIBEAR trap, can be safely set by individuals of varying experience levels in a manner that ensures that the trap won""t inadvertently close and injure their hands or other body parts.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide such a method of setting wire frame spring traps that will give the user a sturdy and positive feel during the setting operation that helps to ensure that each and every trap is set properly.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a method of setting a wire frame spring trap that is very easy to use so that almost anyone can quickly and safely set a variety of different sized traps.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide a tool for the accomplishment of these objective which can be manufactured and sold relatively inexpensively enabling it to be economically available to a large number of potential users.
These objectives are accomplished by the use of the spring trap setting device that is made up of a bar-type mechanism which has an outer body that is typically a hollow round or square-shaped tube having one end open and the other being closed off by a perpendicularly mounted flat foot. The open end of the outer body tube allows the insertion of a typically solid round or square-shaped plunger bar into its interior. The exterior dimensions of the interior plunger bar are slightly smaller than the interior dimensions of the hollow outer body tube which allows the interior plunger bar to slide freely up and down through the length of the exterior body tube. The interior plunger bar is also equipped with a perpendicularly mounted flat foot at its terminal end that acts primarily as a handle used to work the plunger bar up and down during the operation of the present invention.
One of the exterior faces of the trap setter body contains an elongated slot that passes through from the outside surface of the tube to the inner opening and extends for most of its length. The purpose of this slot is to allow for the passage of the upper spring hook through the trap setter body. The upper spring hook is a relatively small bar that extends perpendicularly from the surface of the plunger bar for a short distance where it then makes a ninety degree turn towards the foot of the setter body upon which it continues for a distance that is approximately equal to the section which is perpendicular to the plunger. This forms a downwardly oriented hook (in relation to the body of the invention) that extends out through the setter body slot and that is capable of moving within the slot with any up and down movement that is imparted on the plunger. It should be noted at this time that during construction of the present device the elongated slot may pass all the way to the open end of the tube to allow for insertion of the plunger bar with the attached spring hook. This slot may then be welded closed in a variety of ways including through the use of washer welded unto the end of the bar to close off the slot so that the plunger bar may not be removed from the bar as the spring hook is trapped in the slot.
Conversely, another similar hook is located on one of the outer surfaces of the trap setter body. This lower spring hook is essentially identical in construction to the upper spring hook except that it is mounted to form an upwardly oriented hook. Additionally, it differs from the previous hook in that it is mounted to the outside of the setter body and stays stationary in relation to the movement of the plunger during the use of the present invention. The construction and orientation of these two hooks forms a device with a variable hook gap which can be manipulated in terms of the size or distance between the hook members through the raising or lowering of the plunger within the trap setter body.
The present invention is used in conjunction with a common wire frame animal spring trap to set the trap for its intended use in the trapping of small animals. A wire frame spring trap is essentially two wire frames that are pivotally joined at their horizontal center and bent around this frame pivot joint in a fashion which allows them to be oriented primarily in two parallel planes at a specified distance from one another. The wire frame trap is also equipped with a pair of spring members which each have a pair of retainer rings that encircle a portion of each end frame of the wire frames at the furthest point on those respective end frames from the centrally located frame pivots. As long as these spring members are uncompressed, the trap is held in the closed position and it is completely safe to handle.
The present invention is employed to set the wire frame spring trap by pulling the plunger of the invention up and placing a trap along side of the setter body and within the gap created between the lower and upper spring hooks. From here, one places the lower hook into the retainer ring of the spring member and the upper hook into the other retainer ring of that particular spring member. Once this is complete, the plunger of the present invention is depressed which compresses the spring member and forces the retainer rings towards the center and the frame pivot. When this is accomplished, the user locks the spring member in place by the use of the spring retainer hook and repeats this process on the other spring member located on the opposite side of the trap.
Once both spring members have been compressed and safely held in this compressed position by the use of the spring hooks, the two frames can be rotated around the frame pivots to form similar, but opposite, pairs of parallel frames to those in the open position. Having done this, the user then sets the trigger and notched trigger retainer, which serve to not only trigger the trap but also to hold it in the set position, and then releases the two retainer hooks holding the spring members in place. This places a relatively large amount of force on the two wire frames that are seeking to return them to their open position. This force is held in check by the placement of the notched trigger lock. When the trigger is disturbed, the force is released and the frames violently return to the open position and ensnare any animal within their span.
For a better understanding of the present invention reference should be made to the drawings and the description in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the present invention.